OGDEN, Utah – The Northern Arizona volleyball team overcame an offensive output that hit at a .188 clip by holding Weber State to .104 to win their 10th consecutive match Saturday night in Swenson Gym, 25-18, 25-18, 16-25, 25-14. The Lumberjacks posted 12.0 team blocks and 11 service aces to offset their offensive struggles at times, but still managed to record just the third 10-match win streak in school history and remain in first place of the Big Sky Conference.

"We were a little off with our serve and pass for most of the match," said head coach Ken Murphy. "Our passing was affecting our offense a little and Weber was doing some things that made it hard for us. The key was playing better defense and controlling what we could control. After the third set, I was proud how we were able to regroup and get back to our style of play."

The 'Jacks started slow falling behind 7-3 and remained in catch-up mode until a 6-0 run sparked by two aces from junior Lauren Jacobsen and a pair of kills from senior Janae Vander Ploeg. When NAU found its stride, the Lumberjacks got rolling behind the strong arm of junior Addy Lofstedt. Lofstedt was perfect in the opening set, hitting 1.000 with four kills and NAU also received four kills from Vander Ploeg. NAU also was strong at the line with five aces alone in the opening set, with Vander Ploeg, junior Jensen Barton and freshman Jordan Anderson all chipping in one in addition to Jacobsen's two.

The second set started in similar fashion with the Wildcats taking the early lead, but they were once again unable to hold it. Senior Payton Bock and Barton started the decisive 6-1 run with a block, shifting the momentum in NAU's favor at a 12-12 stalemate. The Lumberjacks' block played a big role in the second set, as they recorded five in the stanza with Barton having a hand in three of them. Senior Jordan Leiter aced the Wildcats on the set's final point and NAU overcame a .111 hitting percentage by keeping Weber State under zero at -.120.

Weber State refused to be swept though as it responded with a dominating third set victory leading the entire way after ripping off six straight points to break a 3-3 tie. The lead grew to as much as 10 before the Wildcats finished off the win hitting .321.

Feeling the pressure applied by the 'Cats, the 'Jacks were the ones who jumped out to a commanding lead in the fourth set using a 7-0 run capped by another ace by Anderson to seize an 11-3 advantage. Although the Wildcats made a minor run to close the gap, the fourth set belonged to the Lumberjacks as Weber State hit subzero for the second time on Saturday. Vander Ploeg shut the doors on the Wildcats in the end, recording three kills and a block on the final four points of the match to wrap up the 10th straight victory.

"You could tell in the break between three and four that our energy level changed," Murphy said. "We were really determined to put a lot more pressure on Weber and change the flow of the match. It was impressive to see our team control that entire (fourth) set."

Vander Ploeg caught fire late, recording 11 of her match-high 17 kills in the final two sets and wound up hitting .292 while also moving past the 1,500 kill threshold for her career. She also added a season-high tying four blocks.

Vander Ploeg was one of four Lumberjacks to record at least four blocks as she was joined by Bock and Dorsey, each of whom led NAU with five, and Barton who recorded four.

Jacobsen led the Lumberjacks at the service line with four, one shy of her career-high, while Anderson, Barton and Leiter chipped in two apiece. NAU tied its season-high of 11 aces for the third time this season.

Behind her exceptional first set, Lofstedt finished with a great night on the attack with nine kills and hit .333 for the match. Redshirt senior Stacia Williams and Jacobsen each tied for the team-lead with nine digs and Barton finished with 39 assists.

NAU plays its final regular season road match at Eastern Washington, the Big Sky North Division leader, next Thursday at 7 p.m. The Lumberjacks then return home to host Southern Utah next Saturday in Rolle Activity Center at 7:30 p.m.